The Spanish town of La Bañeza was still recovering from devastating wildfires that scorched 120,000 acres and forced 8,000 residents from their homes earlier this year. The community prayed for rain to stop the flames, but the sunny Spanish sky refused to cooperate, leaving them surrounded by grief and destroyed land. Then something incredible happened right before Christmas when the town won big in El Gordo, Spain’s famous national lottery program. The village had purchased 117 lottery numbers, and every single one of them paid out €400,000, bringing in nearly half a billion US dollars total.
With about 10,000 residents in the town, each person could receive somewhere between $20,000 and $30,000 after taxes, a life changing amount for families whose homes and land were damaged by fire. Mayor Javier Carrera said the lottery win was something that fell from the heavens to a place that desperately needed help after such a terrible year. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect for a community still dealing with trauma and trying to rebuild their lives. A beautiful Spanish tradition says that good luck follows bad luck, which often leads people to buy lottery tickets in areas that have suffered misfortune, and La Bañeza’s incredible win will surely strengthen this belief for years to come.
